In the latest issue of Music Week we bring you your essential guide to the key releases that everyone will be talking about in the coming months. We’ve already looked at some of the key releases coming from Universal Music and Sony Music this week, but here we take an inside look at some of the big releases coming your way from BMG, Concord and Now That’s What I Call Music…
KYLIE
DISCO
November 6
Kylie returns this November with her 15th studio album Disco. Her first record since the No.1 gold-selling album Golden – it is a sleek, uplifting, modern pop album, produced by long-time collaborator Biff Stannard. Say Something, the first single from Disco, quickly became an airplay hit and fan favourite, with second single Magic following in its footsteps. Collectively, Kylie’s singles have spent over 300 weeks in the Official Singles Chart Top 40. She has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide and her catalogue boasts over half a billion streams globally. Her 2019 Glastonbury performance was the most-watched TV moment in the festival’s history.
MATT BERNINGER
SERPENTINE PRISON
Concord Records October 16
The debut solo album from the Grammy Award-winning artist and lead singer of The National was produced and arranged by Stax legend Booker T Jones, who also performed on the record, along with an array of impressive contributors. The album, a collection of deeply personal songs dripping in Jones’ signature Memphis sound, has already been listed as one of the most highly anticipated records of the year. On what started as a result of sending two demo tracks to Jones, Berninger commented: “Booker responded to those demos right away and encouraged me to keep writing and digging deeper into that stuff. Six months later we had 12 originals and seven covers.”
NOW 100 HITS CHRISTMAS
October 30
Now That’s What I Call Christmas is the seventh best-selling album of all time in the UK with 4.5 million units sold. With the recent success of Now’s 100 Hits series, this month sees an updated version of this well-loved Christmas album. Get into the holiday spirit with the finest collection of festive hits.
FAITHLESS
ALL BLESSED
October 23
The award-winning Faithless return with their first album in 10 years, All Blessed, released on BMG on October 23. The album is an immaculate love letter to electronic music, delivered across 12 highly collaborative and intelligent tracks which perfectly capture the Faithless manifesto of “music with feeling, words with meaning”.
NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! 107
November 20
The Now series is back with the final numbered Now of the year. The legendary compilation series includes 2020’s greatest chart-topping hits and latest releases. Get your copy of this year’s winter soundtrack – the perfect gift for Christmas.
STEPS
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
November 27
After staging the most successful comeback of the decade, pop legends Steps are back with their sixth record on November 27. Lead track What The Future Holds, written by pop queen Sia, is the perfect statement for the launch of the album campaign, which included an amazing performance on The One Show and secured incredible support across press, radio and streaming platforms.
NUBYA GARCIA
SOURCE
Concord Jazz
Out now
Multi-award-winning saxophonist Nubya Garcia released her much anticipated debut album, Source, in August this year. The album is produced by Garcia in collaboration with the celebrated producer Kwes, and features Joe Armon-Jones, Daniel Casimir and Sam Jones. To date, the campaign has seen two BBC Radio 6 Music playlist adds, a live BBC performance from Glastonbury on prime time TV and huge critical acclaim from the press.
NOW 100 HITS 90S NO.1S
November 13
Step back in time to the decade that had everything: Britpop, garage, R&B, boy bands and girl groups to name but a handful. Now 100 Hits 90s No.1s celebrates the best with 100 No.1 hits from the ’90s from such artists as Take That, George Michael, Britney Spears, Céline Dion and many more!
ELVIS COSTELLO
HEY CLOCKFACE
Concord Records
October 30
Elvis Costello returns with new album Hey Clockface – recorded in Helsinki, Paris and New York, and mixed by Sebastian Krys in Los Angeles. Speaking of the emotional and dynamic range of the record, Costello said: “I wanted the record to be vivid, whether the songs demanded playing that was loud and jagged or intimate and beautiful.”
The new edition of Music Week is our jumbo-sized Q4 preview special as we look forward to the biggest releases coming our way between now and the end of the year from Universal, Sony, BMG, Concord and Now That's What I Call Music...
We welcome the legendary Kylie Minogue to our cover as the pop icon prepares to return with her new album Disco. Subscribers can read the full interview here.
